Reporter with Nashville Public Radio. Story finder. Storyteller. Cat lady.
Oct 26, 2023 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
For over a decade, Rutherford County, Tenn. was arresting and jailing kids for even the most minor offenses.
A boy accused of stealing a football jersey–jailed
A girl accused of pulling someone’s hair–jailed
A girl trying to use a blank check at a school book fair–jailed
🧵1/11
I spoke to more than two dozen of these kids–many now adults.
“I didn’t want to go to school.”
“I just ran away.”
“I spray painted a penis on a wall!”
They all ended up in jail. Forced to shower in front of a guard. Given a jumpsuit. And sent to a cell, alone.
